At 5'6" tall, a healthy weight would be around 140 pounds for me. Perhaps a little more because I do have a bigger frame. The thing is, I cannot EVER see myself *wanting* to weigh 140 pounds.
In kindergarten, I weighed 108 pounds, and my weight continued to rise throughout school... so my guess is that in about 3rd grade I weighed 140. So I have no idea what that would look like on me as an adult. I'll admit, 140 pounds scares me. I'm scared to be thin. I think that women that are about a size 14 are the best looking women. Not saying that any of you out there who have successfully lost your weight aren't beautiful, because you ARE, but in my mind, size 14 is where it's at.
What's wrong with this picture? Despite the drive to loss lots of weight, my goal is still in the "overweight" category. Is anyone else like this? I think to myself "man, if I lost 100 pounds, I'd be right about where I'd like to be" But that's still 225 pounds, far from a "healthy" goal weight.
Maybe in time, as the weight drops, my mindset will change. And for right now, I don't see it as such a bad thing, because I'm not striving for that impossible goal (or a goal that SEEMS impossible when you're over 300 pounds!). Does anyone else have the same personal conflict w/their personal goal weight vs. a healthy goal weight for their height? Did any of you out there overcome it? Share, please!
11 comments:
I think your goal weight should be whats right for you. My goal weight is 160 which some people would say is still overweight. But the thing is, that is so much healthier than I am now. And, when I was in college, I weight 155 and was happy at that weight. I looked great. I am really tall so if I weighted 120/130 like statistics say, I would be anorexic. and I dont want that. so you do whats right for you!
Yup my goal weight (For the moment) is 170lbs, which makes me still overweight for my frame. I think my ideal weight is between 108- 144 lbs. LMAO @ the 108 lbs.... I'm sorry but not in this life time. I'm setting realistic goals to improve my overall health. Perhaps once I get to 170, 140lbs won't be soo bad....but for now I'm going to be happy with going from extremely obese to just overweight.
I can totally relate to this post. I'm 5'7", and when I started my blog I weighed 368.4 lbs., and I decided I wanted to lose 200 pounds. But honestly, I cannot imagine myself weighing 168.4 pounds! I am honestly afraid that I will look anorexic at that weight!
I can remember times when I weighed 220. And you know what? I think I looked really good at that weight! I wasn't a stick, and I never want to be. I want to keep my curves and look womanly. So in the back of my mind I keep thinking... "If I can just get to 220, I'll be happy."
I also remember weighing between 190 and 200 pounds. I was 13, and had lost weight with a crash diet. I looked HORRIBLE!!! I looked totally anorexic from the waist up, and only had a little tummy and some spare pounds in the hip area. (No matter how much weight I lose, I'm always going to be shaped like a pear, and I'm OK with that.) So getting below 200 kind of scares me.
I always thought that if I could be a size 18, all would be well with the world. A size 14 would be fantastic. Any lower than that... I just don't see that happening for me.
And have you seen the pics that Lady T has posted? The ones where she's modeling the jeans? OMG... I think she looks great! If I could get to that size I would be ecstatic!
Maybe we shouldn't focus so much on any particular number right now. Maybe we should just keep losing the weight and reassess our goal weight as times goes on. Right now... I am just anxious to get below 300!
I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum...at 5'6, 140-150 is my goal and I'm at this point, shooting for 145.
The only time I've ever passed that weight range was on my way up, PAST it. I have no idea if that'll be where I feel comfortable. I have no idea what I'll look like at that weight, but I figure it's something to shoot for.
I tell myself as the weight continues coming off, I know where I'll fit in on the spectrum. Maybe 140 will be it. Maybe it'll be 150. Maybe it'll be 160.
I don't know. But I do know it's so far enough away, I'm not going to spend much time getting nervous about it now...
Now, I'm just thinking, "Man, I can't wait to be under 200!"
I do the same thing. I'm 5'8 with an extra large frame and every time I'd join WW their goal for me of 150 seemed just way too low and unobtainable so I'd self sabotage every time. I'm here to tell you, set that goal weight and put it in the back of your mind. Lets focus on the first 10 pounds and then we will focus on the next 10 pounds, forget about goal for now. Lets just take this in manageable chunks together, 10 pounds at a time. I'm here for you and when we get to where our bodies are meant to be, we will know it.
My view: I totally agree. My "healthy" wight would be somewhere between 155 and 189. My dad, at two inches shorter than me, and narrower shoulders, looks underweight at 190. I will never look that skinny, nor do I really want to. I think that the "healthy" weight guides assume too little muscle mass, and assume people whose body hasn't grown large generally to compensate in part for the extra weight. So your ultimate target has got to be something that you're comfortable and happy with.
Though I'm with ccc... I have no idea what would be a comfortable weight for me, I've never been there.
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View of someone else:
I read a blog a few weeks ago, and I would cite it if I could, but I haven't been able to find it again. But anyway, the author is a doctor from Quebec who specializes in weight management. He said that when he treats a patient, and that patient starts to lose weight, there is inevitably a time when that patient comes to him in tears because her sister told her she should stop losing weight, that she looks sickly and anorexic, or something similar. His theory is that as a species, our biological drive is to want everyone around us to be overweight, at least to the same extent that we are or more so, and that therefore anyone smaller than us causes a flag of revulsion. Add to that our biological imperatives passed down from our ancestors that losing weight = not able to hunt = unhealthy. I'm not sure if this is just baloney, but it is something to consider.
ok, I can totally understand this! I am also 5'6 and my ideal weight would be about 180 or so and that's still considered over weight. I believe I would feel better and look great at this weight. The lowest weight I've ever gotten to was about 170 or so, but that was only briefly a few years ago. I've always been over weight and I can't imagine being about 140. when I first saw in the weight watchers book what my "ideal weight" was I almost gagged! TOTALLY understand this!
At 5'10 I remember being 180lbs. I also remember being in the low 160's. All my relatives thought I was starving when I weighed in at 160. And at 180 I was very athletic and healthy. I would like to at least get back to that weight and health fitness. I agree with Chubby Chick, for now I would just love to get under 300lbs. Teale when I was 11, I weighed in at 126lbs. I was already 5'8 and I so thought I was fat. It was because I was looking to the media for answers. I cry for that little girl and so wish someone could have just given her a hug. Don't be ashamed of what you weighed as a child. I look at my own 11 year old daughter now and wow she thinks she has problems with her weight. She doesn't. She is 92lbs and in a size 1 or 3 juniors. She is also close to 5'7. She is beautiful, inside and out. That's what I keep telling her. I don't wish for any of my daughters to tell themselves they are fat or ugly or unworthy. That is a long hard road I do not want them to travel.
Your goal weight should be whatever you feel happy at, not some number from an outdated height/weight chart. You may change your mind as you get closer to it and that's ok, but this is about making you feel good about yourself, not pressuring you to fit u=into a goal you find unreasonable.
Chubby Chick I agree with you 100%. 220 would be GREAT for me. I'd still be overweight, but I'm perfectly happy with that. I'm 5ft8 and I remember being about 220lbs and I looked and more importantly felt quite good, well in my opinion.
But I think it makes no sense at my stage to focus or even spend much time thinking about goal weight. I also like to set myself 10lbs goals, put it into little, more manageable chunks. It seems more doable and I'm less likely to give up when I look at it that way.
WHen I was 270 I had an assessment done by a trainor who took my measurements and made me step on a scale with my hands on this metal things - this thing apparently sent electrons through my body to determine my composition. Before telling me the results, she asked me what I thought a good weight for me would be. I said 170 because honestly, that was a weight I could see myself being at. I never ever saw myself as 140 like my "healthy weight" apparently is supposed to be. SHe said she was glad to hear me say that because a good weight for me was supposed to be 170 - 180 based on my muscles and boens etc. This gave me the encouragement and realistic encouragement I needed.
WHen I approached 170, i could see that I could stand to lose more weight. FOr me it is more about getting the weight off for my hip injury and nothing more. I'm perfectly happy where I am physically. So I dropped my goalto 150. If I never get there, then so beit. YOu have to listen to your body and not those charts that they expect everyone to fit into like a cookie cutter. Your body will tell you where it wants to be.
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